Pokemon Crystal Version - Pok¿mon of the Day: Kingler (#99)

Everybody remembers the good ol' Pokémon of
the Day Guy, right? Well, once Gold and Silver hit the shores of the US
and all the hype had died down a bit, he decided to move to the top of
Mount Kilimanjaro to seek enlightenment. Now that every self-respecting
Pokémaniac has Ruby and Sapphire on the brain, however, it's high
time we revitalize the age-old tradition of bringing you your Pokémon
of the Day! And, as everyone knows, there's only one thing better than
a Pokémon of the Day Guy...a Pokémon of the Day Chick!

Each and every day we'll be taking a close and personal look at
one of these unique creatures called Pokémon. Here you'll find all
the moves you could ever want (learned, hereditary and all compatible TMs/HMs
from G/S/C and R/B/Y, if applicable), breeding chains for hereditary moves,
Pokédex entries, general descriptions, max stats, in-game locations,
weaknesses and resistances, gameplay tips and one or more suggested movesets
(SUGGESTED, people; I'm not telling you what to do) to get the most bang
for your Pokébuck.

I like Kingler. He's yet another one of those unfortunate Pokemon
whose stats are laid out totally wrong for his particular type, but I like
him anyway. He doesn't learn the greatest moves, but I like him anyway.
He's pretty darn ugly (bordering on fugly, even), but I like him anyway.
Blame it on my being a woman; we tend to like weird things and rarely bother
to try and justify them (just look at some of the riff-raff male types
we end up with while ignoring you, the "nice guy"). Kingler isn't much
in the way of a Water type, but under the right conditions he can be a
decent Pokemon in general.

NAME: KinglerTYPE: Pincer (Water)HEIGHT: 4' 3"WEIGHT: 132 lbs.

EVOLUTION: evolves from Krabby at level 28

AVAILIBLE IN: Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, Silver, Crystal

LOCATION: Use the Super Rod to fish for Kingler in all versions.
Check Route 23 in Red and Blue, Route 25 in Yellow and Seafoam Island in
Blue and Yellow. GSC owners can find Kingler in the waters of Cherrygrove,
Cianwood and Olivine City, Union Cave, the Whirl Islands and Routes 19,
34 and 40.

Amnesia: Breed a male Slowpoke/Slowbro or Wooper/Quagsire
with a female Corsola, then breed the resulting male Corsola with Amnesia
to a female Krabby/Kingler.

Dig: Teach R/B/Y TM28 (Dig) to Psyduck/Golduck, Slowpoke/Slowbro
or Squirtle/Wartortle/Blastoise. Transfer to G/S and, if male, breed with
a female Kabuto/Kabutops. Finally, breed the resulting male Kabuto with
Dig to a female Krabby/Kingler.

Flail: Breed a male Magikarp with a female Horsea/Seadra/Kingdra,
then breed the resulting male Horsea with Flail to a female Kabuto/Kabutops.
Finally, breed the resulting male Kabuto with Flail to a female Krabby/Kingler.

Haze: Breed a male Wooper/Quagsire with a female Omanyte/Omastar,
then breed the resulting male Omanyte with Haze to a female Krabby/Kingler.

Slam: Breed a male Wooper/Quagsire with a female Omanyte/Omastar,
then breed the resulting male Omanyte with Slam to a female Krabby/Kingler.

Ha! Can you imagine anything being attracted to this thing?
I may like Kingler, but I'll be the first to admit he ain't the prettiest
Pokemon out there by a long shot. So it'll be all the more insulting to
your opponent (and therefore fun) when they find their own Pokemon unable
to attack 50% of the time out of adoration for this monster. Attract is
just a fun move in general; I use it on several of my own Pokemon for kicks
and find it works even better than expected simply because my opponent
usually underestimates its effect.

Two Special weaknesses and a 198 Special Defense? Yep, I'd say Kingler
pretty much needs Amnesia. If someone were to Baton Pass the move
to it, Kingler would be well nigh unstoppable. Barring that, though, you'll
be able to afford setting up your own as long as you bring Kingler in against
the right opponent (namely something that doesn't use Special Attacks,
forcing your opponent to either waste a turn switching or else try to chip
away at Kingler's awesome 328 Defense).

The last two moves should be pretty obvious; Swords Dance up and
then let loose with Body Slams. I recommend Body Slam for the sweet chance
of Paralysis...Parattraction can be an evil, evil thing. If you think you
can get away with it (depending on your opponent's type and moves), you
might try Body Slamming before setting up with Amnesia and Swords
Dance. After all, if you manage to affect your opponent with both

Paralysis and Infatuation you'll find the rest of your setup much
easier. If you prefer extra power over stat afflictions you might want
to go with Double-Edge as opposed to Body Slam; that shot at Parattraction
is simply too good for me to pass up.

There are other good moves for Kingler out there; in fact I am sure
a few people will take offense at my "wasting" a slot with Attract. No
matter. Haze is decent, though you probably won't want to use it if you're
relying on Swords Dance and Amnesia. Swagger is acceptable considering
Kingler's high Defense, and Substitute is a standard of many Pokemon movesets.
Guillotine is fun, though it isn't as effective on Kingler as Horn Drill
is on many other Pokemon due to Kingler's lackluster Speed.

If you're looking for novelty and/or STAB, you might even try Crabhammer.
Kingler's Special Attack is a joke and Crabhammer's accuracy isn't all
that great, but it does stand a good chance of becoming a Critical Hit.Leftovers is to help keep Kingler alive, naturally. Its Defense
is already top notch, and once you have an Amnesia or two in place this
thing can prove to be an unexpected tank. Its HP leaves something to be
desired, though...well, if you're more comfortable having Kingler hold
a Miracleberry I won't hold it against you.

So please, give Kingler a chance. As a Water type he's painfully
lacking, but as a general heavy-hitter he just might have what it takes
to go the distance. As is the case with many Pokemon, one of Kingler's
greatest strengths lies in the fact that NOBODY will be expecting to see
one. Use this to your advantage and Kingler may prove to be worth its weight
in gold.

Don't forget to try your hand at training this intimidating yet
misunderstood crustacean, and drop by tomorrow for your regularly scheduled
dose of Vitamin P (Pokemon of the Day, of course)!

Please email any questions or comments to pokemonofthedaychick@ign.com,
or drop me a line if you just wanna say hello! I'm always up for a rousing
Pokémon chat. And, as always, feel free to visit us on IGN's dedicated
Pokémon
Board. See you there!